The coral nursery has opened!

On April 25th, 2024, we officially opened our coral restoration nursery at the Ridge to Reef Restoration Center (3RC) in Kailua-Kona. In a private ceremony with our cultural advisors, generous donors, government officials, and close collaborators, we came together as one hui to celebrate a special moment in our program's journey: the ceremonial ribbon was cut, and the first corals were placed into two of our 72 seawater-filled "raceways".

The event began with remarks from our program's Founder, Dr. Greg Asner, along with our generous donors the Dorrance Family and Dorrance Family Foundation, the State of Hawaii's Division of Aquatic Resources Administrator Brian Nielson, and Arizona State University VP and Vice Provost Dr. Peter Schlosser. Cultural Advisors and West Hawaiʻi community members Jeana Kelekolio and Damien Kenison stood to share their manaʻo and what the restoration of West Hawaii's coral reefs meant to them.

A blessing and pule were then led by the Kaupiko family of Miloliʻi, and finally guests were invited to help place the first corals into the raceways. Among the corals, which were "corals of opportunity" rescued from mooring lines earlier that week, were Antler coral or Pocillopora grandis, Cauliflower coral or Pocillopora meandrina, Lobe coral or porites lobata, and Finger coral or porites compressa.

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